Every Good Boy Does Fine
by Cetrasai
Summary: Poor Demyx and Zexion are so dissimilar, unfortunately they're stuck in the same dorm room together. Demyx swears to teach Zexion the joys of music and in return Zexion will inadvertently make him realize how easy it is to fall in love. Zemyx.
1. B Major

A/N: I have to say, this is the first story I've written in a very long time and I must give credit to Dualism who (though she doesn't know it) gave me the proper kick in the ass to start writing again. She's absolutely amazing. Read her stuff. Like, before you read this, because those stories are so awesome. And she made Zemyx one of most favoritest pairings in the whole wide world. So, to Dualism, though you may never read this, thanks.

* * *

Every Good Boy Does Fine (a.k.a. Shut Your F.A.C.E.)

Demyx was no genius. He was never the one people called when they needed help with their Calculus, he was never the one who'd get his term paper finished and then published in a renowned scientific magazine, and he certainly wasn't that one who spent hours in front of his laptop with his nose an inch from the screen, memorizing algorithms, so he could reproduce them later that day for no other reason than his own amusement. Rather, Demyx was not a geek.

Demyx was a musician. An artist, a creator, a man with the keenest ear for melody and harmony and tempo and tone that had passed the halls of Hallow Bastion University in some time. And he was proud of it.

Everyone liked Demyx, even those silly professors that thought he was too loud and too cheerful for their hallowed halls. From his blond faux-hawk down to his black boots that squeaked with every step he took, bouncing to some inner beat, he was lovable.

Zexion, on the other hand was the geek. He did spend time memorizing algorithms and publishing papers in scientific journals and helping others with their Calculus. That's not to imply that he enjoyed the help he gave. Zexion was probably the coldest, most soft-spoken, most waspish student on campus. That also isn't to say that Zexion was mean, he was just... misunderstood.

So naturally the Fates would deem it necessary that such a spirit as Demyx would be paired with the quiet, irritable Zexion in what was possibly the smallest, furthest-from-campus dorm room in existence.

* * *

Chapter One - B Major: The Sharp Bitch

A gentle drizzle was falling as Zexion made his way into his dorm building. The sound of the rain was soothing, and cool against head and shoulders, but he paid no attention. He stepped into the foyer, carrying two heavy boxes of neatly packed books and a laptop case over his shoulder. His clothes and important notebooks and school supplies occupied another two plastic crates that were currently in his car. That's it. Four boxes was all he needed to move from his house back onto the University campus. Zexion was nothing, if not economical.

He punched the button on the elevator for the third floor and vaguely hoped no one else would get on so he wouldn't have to suffer through that awkward elevator silence. The creaking echoing through the claustrophobic lift made Zexion's nerves stand on end enough as it was. He occupied himself by thinking of how thankful he was that he no longer had to share a room with that insufferable Axel. The messes he made and the music he played too loudly and the partners (boys and girls, mind you) he'd kicked Zexion out of the room for. Not to mention the flaming toaster.

With some amount of relief, Zexion stepped off the elevator and made his way briskly to the end of the hall. Room 315, his new home for the next nine months. He took a deep breath, reached for the knob, and was promptly smacked in the face with the door. A loud gasp followed, along with the blurred vision of a young man covering his mouth with his hand. Zexion fought away nausea and placed a hand delicately to the place where the door had made most solid contact. Yep, definitely a knot there.

"Dude, I'm totally, really really sorry!" The voice was too loud, too bright, and just a smidgen too melodious for Zexion's tastes, especially when the owner was clearly the one responsible for this impending doomsday headache. "Are you, uh, okay?"

Zexion's eyes finally cleared enough that he was able to get a good look at the boy in front of him. He registered the worried look, the bright blue eyes, and guitar-like-thing in his hand before it hurt too much to think anymore. Dumbly, he nodded and took a step past him into the room. The boy, presumably his roommate, was making worried noises in his throat as Zexion sat heavily on the first bed he saw. The room had definitely stopped spinning, but he still felt a tiny bit sick. Well, at least he hadn't been knocked out. That would have been infinitely more embarrassing.

The roommate who had ever-so-gracefully slammed the door into Zexion's face was, of course, the ever-so-lovable Demyx. He was currently attempting to check his injured roommate's pupils for some kind of dilation. That's what you looked for in concussions, right?

"Hey, I'm really really sorry," Demyx said again, his hands clasped together, beseeching the other young man for forgiveness. Zexion merely glanced up at him with a small shrug, putting his boxes on the floor and his laptop gingerly in his lap.

"I'm fine," he responded shortly.

Demyx nodded briefly before sticking out his hand and in cheery tone introducing himself, "I'm Demyx, what's your name?"

Zexion didn't take the hand he offered, instead opting to stand shakily and survey the contents of the dorm room. One side, the side he was on, looked like a bomb had gone off recently. Zexion promptly scooted his belongings on the floor with his foot to the other side of the room before finally answering, "Zexion." '_Demyx... That certainly sounds familiar. This messy room situation is also feeling a bit familiar, dammit_.' It was looking like Zexion's new roommate wasn't any neater than his last.

'_Zexion... I _know_ I've heard that before_,' Demyx thought as his hand drooped back to hang at his side. He resisted the pout that was naturally forming at his mouth and elected for another smile. "So, I guess we're roommates?" He also had to resist the suddenly very strong urge to smack his forehead into the wall with great force. Of course they were roommates, why else would he be here?!

Zexion had a similar urge, but also choose to suppress it. His eyes cut into Demyx briefly and he chose not to respond to such an inane question. He wasn't one for small talk to say the least. Instead he turned away to glance out the window at the rainy campus below. '_Not a bad view_.'

Poor Demyx stood there awkwardly for a few moments, wondering whether he was supposed to be making conversation or letting his roommate settle in. Weren't roommates supposed to be BFF? Those prospects didn't look too high right now. At this rate, Demyx might finally have a conversation with Zexion by mid-terms.

"So... you're a sophomore, right?"

"Clearly, seeing as this is a sophomore dorm building."

"Right. Um, have you declared your major yet?"

There was a pause before Zexion realized that he had been asked a question that did not warrant a scathing response. "Double majoring, English Literature and Linguistics."

Demyx whistled appreciatively. "I'm Music Composition," he declared, a bit proudly. He was lucky to be in college as it was, seeing as his grades were barely adequate, especially at such a good school as HBU. He mentally high-fived himself for actually getting this guy into a conversation faster than he'd expected. Now he remembered where he'd heard of Zexion. Axel used to talk about him a lot last year and about how big of a stick he had shoved up his ass. Demyx had once thought that was somewhat harsh, but now...

Zexion didn't respond right away. Music Composition, huh? That would explain the music stand in the corner and the pile of three or four instrument cases along with the guitar-thing (he still didn't know exactly was it was) still in Demyx's hand. He smoothed his hair back from his face briefly, still looking out the window, before letting it fall back into place.

Then, without so much as a 'brb,' Zexion turned and proceeded out the door and back toward the elevators, almost completely forgetting Demyx was even present. He had to finish getting his things out of the car, after all.

Demyx was surprised, nay, _shocked_ by Zexion's behavior. "What a bitch!" he muttered irritably to himself as the door clicked shut. Here they were having a perfectly good conversation, and that guy goes and blows it. Demyx was only able to keep up the angry facade for a few moments before it broke and he was left wondering if Zexion was angry or annoyed or something. Demyx was a worrier by nature and wasn't very good at dealing with anger or adversity. He waited around awkwardly for Zexion to get back, so he could try and pick up the conversation again, but he wasn't really sure if the was the safest thing to do. Zexion had looks that could kill, in more ways than one, unfortunately.

While Demyx was waiting, Zexion made a trip to his car and back, running, since the rain was coming down even harder now. He didn't even realize that he had left Demyx completely hanging. He unfortunately did notice that when he reentered the room Demyx visibly brightened and opened his mouth to speak.

Zexion abruptly cut him off, like the bitch he was to all the new people he met, especially those who had smacked him in the face with a door, "I have no real interest in talking to you right now. I have just had an extremely long car ride from Traverse Town and I would like to unpack and take a nap. I'd appreciate it if you would keep it down and refrain from injuring me further." He proceeded to open one plastic crate and begin removing clothes from it.

"Oh, so you're from Traverse Town?" Zexion glared and Demyx withered under the intense heat. With that, poor Demyx retreated to fight his battle against silence another day and left the room without further prodding.

The only thing he could possibly hope was, '_Maybe he's not such a sharp bitch all the time. Oh, god, please_.'


	2. Multo Spirito

Chapter Two – Multo Spirito

Demyx was simply not having a very good day. Not only had he smacked his roommate in the face with a door, he'd also made a complete fool of himself in front of said roommate (who happened to be really cute in that quiet-emo-genius kind of way), and he couldn't find his iPod. It seemed he had tragically left it back in the dorm room, which under no circumstances would he be returning to in at least the next six hours for fear of being subject to his roommate's piercing glare again.

Instead he decided to hurry to the University Commons, to see if any of his friends were there. The rain was still coming down in bucketfuls, but he didn't mind in the slightest. Rain was just as important as sun after all, so why should one get more props than the other? He strode past the History building, admiring the gothic architecture like he did every time. This campus never got old, it had such a classic beauty that it just breathed with life. It made Demyx a little bit proud every time he walked the cobbled walkways or the wood-paneled corridors. But despite its classicism, Hollow Bastion University was extremely high-tech, with state-of-the-art labs, campus-wide wireless Internet, and a requirement for every student to have a laptop, even if the school had to pay it. See subject Demyx.

This was a great school, it really was a wonder that Demyx was here in the first place. His only talent it seemed, was music. Science was horrendous, English was a chore, history a bore, and don't even get him started on math. Demyx's skill with numbers was limited to tempo markings and fractions. HBU had one of the best musical departments ever, save the Atlantica School of the Arts, which happened to be in Demyx's home town. He'd passed up a full ride there because he'd felt that he really needed to get up and get out into the world. So far it had been the best choice of his life, despite the tuition.

As he reached the wide-open spaces of the Commons, he looked around in expectation. The rain was usually never a deterrent for most of his friends, who hung around, inside or out, regardless of the time, place, or intensity of precipitation. Sure enough, there was Axel, sitting on a curving ledge under an umbrella, one very long skinny leg pulled up under him, strumming his guitar rapidly.

"Axel!" Demyx called out, waving as he jogged up.

Axel's pure jade eyes flicked up to Demyx, clearly radiating annoyance until he realized who it was. "Demyx!" he called back, stopping his incessant strumming and leaping down from the wall. Demyx plowed into him, wrapping his arms around him tightly, but ever mindful of the instrument in his hand. Axel peered down at the faux-hawk creation of Demyx's hair before wrapping an arm around him tightly in return. "It's good to see you again, Dem. You seen Wakka or Tidus around? I've got some brilliant ideas for new material." Axel flashed a cocky smile as Demyx pulled away from the exorbitant hug.

Demyx grinned in return, but shook his head, "I got in this morning, I haven't been out of my room until just now." Axel was one of Demyx's best friends, along with Tidus and Wakka, the other members of their band. Yes, they had a _band_. How college-cliché was that? They were kind of a punk/ska/emo/techno/indie/pop montage of ingeniousness. Or something. So, essentially, they were a group of four guys messing around every couple of days with some instruments and a fourth-hand synthesizer. Axel played guitar (hence the one currently residing in his hand), Tidus played bass, and Wakka played drums, while Demyx sang. He was also the only one who knew how to use the synthesizer properly (i.e. knew exactly how much force to hit it with when it wouldn't work) but he was usually too afraid to mess with it during a show. But maybe, just maybe, one day they'd get enough money to record some stuff.

"Let's go inside before this rain rapes my hair anymore," Axel declared, one arm around Demyx's shoulders. Demyx just laughed, thinking that Axel's hair was pretty much raped naturally. The ridiculous spikes always caused a stare or two and the color was simply flame-boyant. Not that he'd ever say something like that, that was Larxene or Riku's job, and not really as if he had room to talk, with his wild faux-hawk creation. Demyx was actually one of the few that knew for a fact that Axel's hair was _not_ dyed and that people thought it was, was a matter of some sensitivity for him.

The two dripping boys entered the Commons and immediately made their way down a wide curving staircase to the basement, the usual spot for meeting most of their friends after a hard day of classes. Hopefully the others hadn't forgotten the location over the summer. Demyx viewed the long separation of summer as a necessary evil and though he'd tried to keep in touch with his friends, he almost always felt like they shouldn't be bothered, so he actually hadn't talked to any of them in about a month. Meeting up with Axel so early really was just luck.

They headed for a small grouping of comfy chairs situated in a secluded corner of the basement, away from the televisions and pool tables. Both paused when they noticed a group of three kids sitting in those comfy chairs. Two boys and a girl were curled up so snugly, as if they owned the place. Dumb freshmen.

Axel stalked forward, Demyx lingering in the background, and snapped irritably, "Get up!"

The three looked around in surprise. The girl was pretty, petite, and leggy with auburn hair and violet eyes, while the two boys were strikingly similar in the face, but with different colored hair. One was a brunette, his locks stuck in every which direction, while the other was blonde with a spiky swoosh. Demyx noticed that the brunette was cute beyond belief with wide blue eyes and an infectious smile (that happened to be dimming a bit around the edges currently), while the blonde seemed shy, but was quickly angering at Axel's demand.

"I'm serious, you need to -- uh, like -- um..." Axel stumbled over his words as he fully caught sight of the blonde boy who was clearly about to start yelling himself. He was struck, completely and absolutely, dead.

It was at that precise moment that a certain silver-haired best friend chose to make his entrance. Demyx spotted him first and cried, "Riku!"

Riku sauntered over, one arm curled around four drinks, the other hanging at his side, a very big smirk on his face. "Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me? And Axel, are you harassing my friends?" he asked with mock severity. He threw a jaunty wave to Demyx and handed the drinks to the three in the chairs, keeping one for himself. "May I introduce you to the ever-so-not-pleasant Axel, and the nicest guy in the world, Demyx," he said to his friends. The brunette and the girl waved, while the blonde was opening his soda in an attempt to remain calm. "Axel, Dem, this is Sora, Kairi, and Roxas." Riku gestured to each in turn and Demyx returned their waves, none catching the mischievous smile spreading across Axel's face, whom, it seemed, was about to do something very, very stupid.

He suddenly rounded the low table and sat, his long legs making him look as if he were sitting in a undersized child's chair, rather than the sexy perch he'd been striving for. He promptly stuck out his hand to Roxas, who was now raising an eyebrow. "Greetings fair Prince Roxas, I am Axel." He snatched the boy's hand from his side before he had a moment to react and kissed the knuckles lavishly. He flicked his stunning eyes up to meet Roxas' bright blue ones. "Got it memorized?"

Roxas was not able to suppress the look of surprise and the blush spreading rapidly across his face. The only words he managed to force from his mouth were, "I'm not gay!"

Axel smirked in a way the clearly challenged that statement, or at least hinted that if Roxas wasn't gay presently, he would be soon enough.

His train of thought was broken as the brunette, Sora, spoke up, "Lay off my brother, dude."

Riku made a calming motion toward his friend and said, "Don't worry, Sora, Axel always acts like this. His IQ drops about a hundred points when there's a pretty boy around, which puts it at about zero."

"Riku! You do not know me as well as you think you do!" Axel sputtered, looking over at Roxas again. "Don't you see? He's a prince, and I am his princess!" He finished with a wonderful flourish of his long-fingered hands.

Roxas cracked at last. Demyx was practically on the floor and Kairi was holding her sides in mirth.

"I'm sorry your Highness, but you're not my type," Roxas chuckled and laughed a little harder as Axel's face fell.

"Well, your knight in shining armor then!" Axel tried, making a jabbing sword motion.

Roxas just shook his head and Tidus, who had just walked up, cut in, "Try tarnished armor, Ax."

Everyone greeted the blonde newcomer and Tidus high-fived his friends Roxas and Sora, congratulating them on finally making it to the "best school in the world." Axel did not look disconcerted by his previous comment, rather, he just shrugged non-commitally and made a mental note to punch Tidus later. As far as Roxas was concerned... he'd come around, Axel was sure of it.

Demyx was the next to speak up amid the air of easy familiarity, "You and Roxas are brothers, Sora?" The likeness between them really was striking and if they were in the same grade, as Demyx naturally suspected, that would make them...

"Twins, yeah," Sora replied with another infectious smile. It seemed Demyx had a kindred spirit when it came to smiling. "Fraternal of course. The hair's pretty much a dead giveaway for that." Roxas just nodded a little, not saying anything. He was the quiet type, Demyx guessed.

Kairi finally spoke up as well, "I've got a twin too, I think there must be something in the water on Destiny Islands." The others chuckled and she continued, "Her name's Namine, but she's going to the Atlantica School of the Arts to become, well, and artist I guess."

Demyx grinned and sat on the arm of Kairi's chair. "I'm from Atlantica! Have you heard from her? Does she like it there?" Those two absorbed themselves in a conversation as yet another of their friends made an appearance. The cheerful Wakka bounded to them, his dark and brooding girlfriend, Lulu, trailing behind. Everyone made their greetings and the air of friendliness and companionship only grew.

Demyx was practically overwhelmed by the contented camaraderie that came with their little group. It had easily expanded in the space of a few minutes to encompass and embrace the three newcomers as if they had been there all along. It was obviously apparent that Sora, Roxas, and Kairi were some of Riku's closest friends, save Axel and Demyx of course. It was also obvious (at least to Demyx, who had an eye for these sort of things) that Riku's gaze happened to linger on Sora for longer-than-necessary periods of time, especially when he thought no one was looking. That particular fact only served to make Demyx grin every time he noticed it. Actually, everything was making Demyx grin right now. He was back at school, his friends were still here, and he was making new ones. He had even temporarily forgotten about the cold roommate that awaited him whenever he was inevitably forced to return to his dorm. Life was good.

They scarcely noticed as the minutes passed to hours and the students not included in their group began to filter out of the Commons. Demyx, Tidus, and Wakka were deep in a conversation about which place would be the best to do their first show of the year. Lulu and Kairi were discussing their desired majors (Lulu's being sociology and Kairi aiming for something in the political sciences), while Axel was trying to serenade Roxas with his guitar. Unfortunately, Roxas was determinedly ignoring him by making fun of Riku's need of a haircut (_"Seriously, Riku, it totally in your face." "What are you my mom?"_). Sora was _attempting_ to defend Riku, but royally failing on account of distraction by Axel's hilarious lyrics.

It was Tidus who finally exclaimed, "Oh shit, guys, it's almost eight o'clock! I was supposed to meet Yuna like half an hour ago!" With that he leapt from his seat with a rushed goodbye and sprinted for the stairs.

It was that which prompted the others to finally rise from their seats in the chairs, or the floor, or the table in Axel's case, and also say their good-byes, with the promise that they'd all be back tomorrow night before dinner, so that they could all eat together. Riku ushered the three freshmen to follow him so he could show them back to their dorms. Demyx was a little crestfallen on Riku's behalf when he saw Kairi slip her hand discreetly into Sora's. Roxas rolled his eyes exasperatedly as Axel blew him a kiss and hurried after his brother and best friends. Demyx and Axel left the Commons together, just as they had entered.

Together, they strolled down the pathway, the sun just beginning to sink beneath the horizon.

"See ya, Dem," Axel said as they came to a fork.

"Yeah," Demyx replied, bringing himself close to his best friend for a moment. "Eleven o'clock Government, right?"

Axel patted Demyx's shoulder gently and nodded. "I'll be there, I promise. No flaking out on the first day." Axel knew that Demyx's friends were everything to him, his whole life and spirit really. When he compared Demyx to himself, he always felt as if the musician was just a kid, in need of protection. Though in theory he knew that wasn't really true, but he still felt it nonetheless.

Demyx smiled again, the sun glowing against his face and glinting off his wild hair. He was just... happy.

* * *

Demyx was practically bouncing as he walked back to his dorm building. He'd just had a most excellent reunion with all the friends he hadn't seen all summer. So much had happened! Wakka and Lulu had finally decided to tie the knot after they graduated this year, Tidus and Selphie had broken up and Tidus was dating some girl in another campus band ('_Yuki or Luna or something cute like that_') and Demyx hoped she wasn't too mad at Tidus for being a scatterbrain. Demyx could relate, after all. Also, there was that whole episode with Axel and the freshman ('_Roxas_,' Demyx remembered) just this afternoon. It felt like everyone was getting in and out of relationships left and right.

Except Demyx. It was kind of sad really. His last girlfriend had been in high school and she had stayed in Atlantica to pursue a career in theatre musicals. Though Demyx was very flirty and had made out with both Axel and Riku (in a completely experimentally platonic way of course!) on more than one occasion, he couldn't hold a relationship to save his life.

He vaguely wondered if his roommate had a ... significant other. '_Probably not_,' he thought cynically. '_No one could put up with that for more than a few minutes_.' It took him a moment to realize that _he_ was going to have to deal with Zexion for _very_ long periods of time. Head hung in dismay, he found that he had paced past his room several times in his not-so-deep thought.

Demyx took a deep breath and opened the door slowly, consciously afraid of hitting Zexion in the head again. He slid into the room and closed the door behind him quietly, wincing at the slight noise he made. When he looked up again he was frozen to his place by pure surprise.

There was Zexion, embraced in the arms of a huge man (Like, _huge_. His biceps were as big as Demyx's head!) standing near the window. Demyx could barely see his roommate, he was so enveloped in the other man's arms. He was so surprised he failed to notice the look of quiet sadness on the big guy's face and the muffled protests coming from Zexion.

'_Well, that answers that question_,'


	3. Staccato

Chapter Three - Staccato

Zexion jerked away from the large man, his boyfriend. 'Ex-_boyfriend_,' he thought harshly as he gave the other a piercing look. He didn't even notice that Demyx had entered the room.

"Get out, Lexaeus," he said, softly, hissingly, cold as a snake. "I will call you when I _want_ to talk."

The tall one, Lexaeus presumably, turned away, not without a measure of sadness and glanced briefly at Demyx as he walked out the door.

Demyx was left in absolute and utter confusion as the door snapped to a close. Zexion, on the other hand, finally noticing the boy, promptly smoothed his hair and his rumpled shirt before turning to his desk beside his bed and sitting before his laptop. A blush was just barely visible, burning lightly across his nose and cheekbones. Oh the horror, the embarrassment! As if it hadn't been enough that he'd been made a fool of by this roommate once before, but now he was completely mortified by said roommate walking in on his spat. '_Great. Just peachy,_' he mused in annoyance.

Demyx wasn't sure if he should say something... but guessed that it might not be in his best interests if he wanted to live. So, instead, he sat on the end of his bed, letting the awkward silence stretch and stretch and strain until it was at a trembling breaking point.

He couldn't resist, the silence had to be broken eventually.

"I'm going to pretend that didn't happen," Demyx began, searching for the right words. The words that wouldn't cause him to be verbally impaled. "If you agree to have a decent conversation with me?"

Zexion made no obvious movement to indicate that he had heard him. Instead, his fingers tapped faster and more vigorously against the keys of the computer, as if trying to ease off a little bit of steam.

Demyx sighed inaudibly and flopped back on the bed. '_This guy_...' he mused, exasperated. '_No concern for oth--_'

"My boyfriend just dumped me," Zexion interjected Demyx's thoughts. He opted for the truth, hoping that perhaps a clinical divulsion of the details would prevent any further inquiry.

Demyx's head shot up in surprise. Dumped? Really? With that face? No way! "Oh, sorry dude, that totally sucks." Zexion just shrugged, still not facing his roommate. Demyx could tell that this was not going to be the best time to ask any more question, so he let it gently drop.

_//Sorry, I've just never felt like that with you, Zex.//_

Zexion glowered at his screen. Damn Lexaeus and his sentimentalities and his _honor_. Of course Zexion had never felt like more than a best friend and brother to Lexaeus either, but Lex didn't have to be the one go and ruin their image of harmony. It's what everyone had always gossiped about behind their backs, so hadn't it just been easier to pretend that they were boyfriends instead of having to suffer through the barely concealed whispers? Apparently not.

The young man's fingers flew sharp and swift over the keys, complaining about this recent turn of events over instant messaging.

_CloakedSchemerVI_ [8:45: He dumped me. First day back and he decides to dump me.

_SecondSuperFreeshooter_ [8:45: for real? HAHAHA! o shit that's really funny

_CloakedSchemerVI_ [8:46: Thanks for your support. What the hell is he thinking?

_SecondSuperFreeshooter_ [8:46: dude, chill. it's not a big deal

_SecondSuperFreeshooter _[8:46: do some breathing exercises or something.

_CloakedSchemerVI_ [8:47: Don't patronize me.

_SecondSuperFreeshooter_ [8:48: I'm a senior, I'm allowed to patronize you, dickface.

Zexion scowled even deeper and simply signed off, not even bothering to respond to such an inane comment. So much for that. Well, it was foolish of him to complain about his problems to other people anyway, especially Xigbar, who didn't give a damn about anyone unless he or she was sucking him off. Even then he probably couldn't care less.

Zexion rested his head on his hand and glanced at the clock. It was only close to nine, not late at all. He wasn't in the mood the read or take a shower, all his clothes were unpacked, his books and supplies were stored away systematically in his desk, which left him nothing to do. Glancing over his shoulder he saw that his roommate ('_Demyx_,' he corrected himself) was dumping a large stack of paper and thin books on his bed from a cardboard box. Uninterested, Zexion shifted his gaze back and out the window onto the sidewalk below.

Demyx was sorting through all his music. His different instrument books and parts had been mixed up when he packed them up at home and he'd only just realized it. He needed his scores for Music Theory and his violin music for Orchestra and his trumpet half-sheets for pep band. Not to mention all that new sitar music his mom had given him for his birthday. It was all tragically mixed up in the worst way. With a deep sigh, Demyx buckled down for at least an hour's worth of organization. Truly, nothing good could be said for disorderliness.

Demyx picked up his dented, but faithful, hand-me-down iPod from the bedside table and stuck one of the white earbuds in his ear, leaving the other dangling around his neck. He spun his thumb around the touch-wheel rapidly until it clicked to a slow halt at what he wanted to listen to. Punching play, he turned the volume down so it wasn't blasting and he could still talk.

"So, what classes do you have tomorrow?" he asked Zexion, beginning to sort the papers away from the books. '_I am going to force this guy into a nice conversation, whether he wants it or not_,' he decided determinedly.

Zexion cocked his head slightly. Was Demyx talking again? Apparently so. "I have an 8 o'clock Sociology and a 2:30 Public Speaking class," he stated in a clipped tone. It took a moment, but he did manage to add, "You?"

Demyx smiled a bit to himself both at Zexion's attempt at civility and the nostalgia from a particular piece of music in his hands. "11 o'clock Government, Intro to Art at 1:30, then I have to dash over to the history building for Keyblade Wars at 3." He chuckled softly. "My Mondays are pretty full. Have you taken any of those classes?"

Zexion nodded. He'd taken Government last semester, just to get that particular general requirement out of the way. He'd found it extremely dry and the class full of obnoxious pricks who thought they would run for mayor of their respective worlds one day. Idiots. "Government is a waste of time. However, Keyblade Wars I found to be extremely interesting." Of course, Zexion had always been one for history.

"Hey, have you taken Heartless Anatomy yet?" Demyx asked. Heartless Anatomy with Professor Xemnas was said to be one of the most feared, yet sought after classes at the University.

"I have it on Thursday," Zexion replied, glancing over his shoulder again. It appeared to him that Demyx was only making an even larger mess of his papers, rather than organizing them. '_Why is he asking me these things?_'

Demyx, however, was very pleased with himself that he'd gotten Zexion into a conversation. Maybe something good could come of this situation after all. Bobbing his head slightly to the beat in his ear he remarked, "I heard Professor Xemnas is a total bitch about stuff."

"Stuff?" Zexion asked, actually slightly interested. Heartless Anatomy was a class he'd been greatly looking forward to and it'd be nice to have a head's up on the professor.

"I dunno, I just heard that you have to make your margins exactly right on your papers and that if you answer wrongly in class he won't let you answer again for a week and..." he trailed off. He'd actually heard a lot of other things about Xemnas, but he wasn't sure if they were the sort of things to discuss with someone he'd practically just met.

"Whatever." Interest was swiftly drifting out the window and back onto the stars above the trees.

"You're super staccato, you know that?" He got up and put his books on his own desk; now all that was left was the sheet music. When Zexion looked over his shoulder yet again Demyx noticed the confused look on his face and he attempted to explain, "Like, you speak in a really cultured way, but everything you say is really short or annoyed sounding." He looked to Zexion brightly, hoping for clarification of some sort.

Zexion stood from his chair abruptly and stomped to his closet, pulling a pair of blue plaid pajama bottoms from a small drawer and yanking a t-shirt from a hanger, sending it swinging. To Demyx, whose face was rapidly falling, he said briefly, "Well I think you talk too much." And with that he grabbed his towel and left, presumably to take his shower.

Demyx frowned, more surprised than offended. He was quickly coming to the realization that his roommate was not a particularly pleasant person and that no matter what he did, he may never become friends with him. '_It's only the first day, and he just got dumped_,' he told himself. '_Things could always get better. I mean, we were having a nice chat before I went off and called him staccato. That was random, even for me!_' He'd known somewhere in his head that making a music reference might not be the smartest thing to do, but he hadn't been able to help himself. Staccatos could be so cute; he'd only meant it in the nicest way possible!

That thought brought him directly to an analysis of his roommate's appearance. _Cute_ was definitely word to describe Zexion. He couldn't be more than five and a half feet tall and had to weigh about 115 pounds or less. His frame was like that of an adolescent girl, but somehow it worked for him. He was small, slender, and certainly had a pretty face. Well, at least the part that was actually visible. His cobalt blue hair was styled really uniquely, but Demyx had to wonder whether or not it was a natural color. He'd seen some pretty outrageous hair colors over the years and wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility. And Jesus, those hips! Demyx had noticed, he'd admit it. Overall, Zexion was a very enticing-looking young man, Demyx decided. His personality just left a little to be desired.

With a soft sigh he focused more fully on his "work," wanting to get it done before he fell asleep on it, which was fast becoming a looming possibility. He hummed along to his music, the gentle droning in combination with the monotonous task not making for a productive mix. Demyx felt his eyelids droop ever lower but didn't realize that he was even falling asleep until he slumped into an uncomfortable position over his papers.

With a groan, he picked himself off the bed, not able to concentrate anymore. It was just like him to be wide awake one moment and completely ready for bed the next. Tugging his clothes off and replacing them with a wife-beater and fish-patterned boxers, he pulled the covers back from the bed, scattering the newly stacked piles of music he'd neglected to put away properly onto the floor.

"Fuck," he muttered, rubbing an eye. He stared at the mess for a moment before deciding it was no big deal and he'd pick it up in the morning, then settled himself under the covers. With his last few moments of consciousness he set the alarm clock and drifted off on the silvery sounds still issuing from his earbuds.

* * *

'_Staccato? What the hell does that even mean?_' Zexion wondered irritably, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. He knew he was still pissed about being hit in the face and about Lexaeus and all that. He also knew it was completely immature to take it out on Demyx, but that clearly wasn't stopping him.

Water poured down from the shower head, hot and steamy against Zexion's back. Arching his head under the spray, he let shampoo rinse out, then he straightened and shut the water off with his elbow. Zexion stood in the rapidly cooling air, steam evaporating from his skin, and shivered. He stood there for several more moments, trying his best to let his anger rise like the steam into nothingness. Grabbing his thick towel, he wrapped it around his waist and pushed the shower curtain back, stepping back into the real world and the locker-room style bathroom. His clothes sat neatly on a bench and he retrieved them, drying off his body as he went.

'_I really need to learn to control my temper_,' Zexion thought, tugging his boxers and pants on. As he pulled the shirt over his head, the thin fabric clung to his still damp skin uncomfortably. '_I mean, it's the first day, things are supposed to get better_.' Making his way toward the sinks, he began toweling his hair dry. He avoided looking in the mirror as he finger-combed the locks, navy blue with water, into their typical arrangement over his right eye. He'd taken a nice, long shower and he decided that it was indeed time for bed. It would be best to be well rested before the first day of classes.

After brushing his teeth, Zexion left the bathroom, towel slung around his shoulders to catch the water dripping from his hair. Touching the knob to his shared room he sighed deeply. '_Maybe Xigbar's right and I should do some breathing exercises_,' he told himself as he carefully opened the door. He too was subconsciously afraid of smacking or being smacked again in the head. Who knows how many brain cells had been killed by that one impact?

When Zexion's eyes adjusted to the lack of light he realized that his roommate had finally gone to bed. With a small sigh of relief Zexion strode to his bed, or, at least, he _tried_ to. His feet slipped on the slick papers strewn across the floor and he almost fell flat on his ass. When he regained his balance, he huffed, severely vexed, and stormed to his side of the room, hanging the towel on a rack to dry. He flopped down on his bed and crossed his arms, pillowing them under his head.

'_This guy, no concern for oth_--' His thoughts were interrupted by a soft, whispered murmur from the opposite bed. Oh wonderful, Demyx talked in his sleep!

'_Here's to another superb year!_' Zexion mentally growled, flipping over and pulling the covers up to his ears.

* * *

A/N: So there was a bit of Zexion fan-service at the end, so to speak. I hope you liked this chapter all right, even though it took a while for me to get out. Please review, they make me so happy!

Also, I need suggestions for a name for Demyx, Axel, Tidus, and Wakka's band. Please shout out some ideas for me!


	4. E Minor

A/N: I'm so sorry for taking so long on this chapter! School drained the strength from my marrow, to be sure. Now that it's deep into summer the chapters should come a bit quicker. I must also note that this chapter is somewhat an experiment with environment, so yes, I'm quite aware that what happens in the first section is highly improbable. Don't worry about it too much, we're here to have fun, right?

Please review, thanks!

Chapter Four - E Minor: Kinda Creepy (and Awkward)

Honestly the first thing that crossed Zexion's mind when he stepped into his Heartless Anatomy class on Thursday morning was, '_Damn_.'

The walls of the relatively small room were draped with posters, diagrams, and framed pieces of what looked to be armor or weaponry. Any span of wall that wasn't covered with the macabre, including the ceiling, was painted matte black. An extremely large aquarium stood against the far side of the room, filled with nothing, and a huge artistic rendition of a heart hung in the center of the blackboard. Zexion stood blinking in the doorway for a second or two before another student pushed him roughly inside. That was just the shove he needed to spur him back into reality. He made his way briskly to a lab-style desk in the front of the room, deciding that, despite the creepiness, he was here to learn and he would make the best of the situation...

Why had he taken this crazy class again?

It was clear that the other students were beginning to think similarly as they whispered to each other, rather than using their usual raucous voices. Several minutes passed in the eerie atmosphere. Zexion was able to wonder briefly where the professor was and why the windows were covered with the heaviest black curtains he'd ever seen, before the lights flicked off. Light fled his vision as quickly as the blood drained from his cheeks. Some of the more excitable girls (and boys for that matter) shrieked in the sudden total darkness; they knocked over chairs and groped for each other in an attempt to find something familiar (or at least something soft). Just before true panic set in, a silky voice issued from the black abyss.

"This is not a joke, and it is certainly not a drill." A cold and choking dread was immediately realized as the voice crawled over the student's skin. Tiny yellow lights suddenly emanated from around the room, glowing with a steady fierceness. The murmerings and fearful babblings rose in volume, and even Zexion found himself shrinking in his seat, wondering what the _hell_ those things were. All fell quiet as the voice spoke again.

"Those are the Heartless," The students gasped as a unit and the lights, or rather _eyes_, started flitting around with twitching, jerking movements in the darkness. Zexion swore he could hear the skittering of tiny clawed feet. "And they want nothing more than to envelop your precious hearts in crushing darkness."

A cold, sinking dread wove its way down Zexion's spine in a freezing curve. This couldn't be serious, could it? This guy couldn't be for real... could he? Zexion clapped a hand over his mouth to silence an undiginified shriek as he thought he felt something brush past his ankle.

The voice became almost lackadaisical amidst the increasing hysteria of the classroom, "Welcome to my class, I do hope you enjoy your stay." At that precise moment the cold flourecent lights blazed on, washing the room in blinding color again. At the front of the room, sitting very precisely before the picture of the heart was a tall man of average build, with long, shockingly silver hair, dressed all in black, with his fingers steepled just so. The shrieks that issued from the girls this time were perhaps even louder than those at the start of class.

"Fools," Professor Xemnas spat, standing. The students studied him with wary, still fearful eyes as he studied them in turn with his own golden ones. Carelessly he raised his arm and pointed at a girl clinging to the boy beside her, who immediately shrank back as if stung. "You," he said, then switched to another girl in a similar state, then a boy, "And you and you." He continued his singling out of students until the number was near twenty, then spat, "Get out of my class."

The indignation that sprang from the inital fear was nearly overwhelming.

"What the hell? You can't just kick us out of class!" snapped a blonde boy with facial tattoos that Zexion vaguely recognized as a senior who had once thrown a punch at a kid who cut in front of him in the cafeteria line.

Professor Xemnas looked slightly perplexed, if anything, and reiterated, "Get out of my class." When the student looked like he was going to open his mouth to argue again, the professor said threateningly, "Get out or I'll tell your counselors not to give you the option of switching classes and I will fail you for the semester. Do you honestly believe your grade point average could survive such a blow Mr. Dincht?"

With their jointly appointed leader successfully silenced, the students that had been singled out for their uncontrolled show of fear slunk dejected from the classroom.

As the door swung shut with a click, Professor Xemnas fixed his cold citrine gaze on his students once more. "I will not stand for nonsense in this classroom. You will listen and you will learn or you will fail and be humiliated. Do not chew gum because it is too loud, do not speak while I am speaking because it's rude, and do not answer incorrectly because it makes you look stupid. Those are my rules; if you do not follow them you will be gone." Once more he sat in his chair before the looming heart and steepled his fingers, looking far scarier than any madman could hope to. "Now, can any one of you actually tell me what a Heartless is?" And with that the class finally began.

Zexion, however, was fully intent on discovering just how this guy could have created such an elaborate illusion in his room. '_Wait, there... a light? Christmas lights?_' Sure enough, strung in several places along the walls and near the baseboards were strands of Christmas lights that must have served as the "eyes" of the fake Heartless. Against the stark black of the walls the lights must have blinked along the strands, making the "eyes" appear to move. Frankly, it was amazing to Zexion that something so normal as a classroom had been transformed into a hell-hole of terror with just a few well placed lights and curtains. Professor Xemnas certainly had a flair for theatricality.

It took Zexion several moments before he realized that the entire class was completely silent and staring directly at him. Even the professor sat motionless, looking at his student with vague annoyance.

"I see that Mr. Ienzo feels that he's too privledged to participate in my class," Xemnas said in a voice both silky and barbed. "Would he like to leave as well?"

Zexion's chest felt tight as he slowly shook his head. He had to clear his throat before he managed to murmer a "No, sir."

"Well then perhaps Mr. Ienzo would answer the question and refrain from further making a fool of himself?"

Zexion cleared his throat again, eager for any way to erase his embarassment. "A Heartless is a creature, originally a human, that has lost its heart and relies on darkness to survive. It's whole purpose is to steal hearts from other humans. They played a pivotal role in the early Keyblade Wars but are now considered a general nuisance and garden-variety pest."

Xemnas gave him a look of pure disdain. "A true textbook answer, Mr. Ienzo. I _had_ hoped for something a bit more creative from the top of the second year class, but I was resoundly disappointed. You have managed to acquire both my annoyance and disregard in the space of 60 seconds: congratulations."

Zexion controlled his face enough to resist blushing and ducking his head in humiliation as scattered snickers burst out from behind him. '_Great, just wonderful. Just keep you're damn hand down and sit in the back next class, Zexion. Try not to make an absolute idiot of yourself next time._' He managed to keep eye contact with Xemnas until the professor decided that it was no longer worth his time and moved on to torturing the next pitiful student.

The rest of the class went off without too much of a hitch. Four more students were thrown from the room, bringing the final count down to only twenty-two of the previous fifty. Professor Xemnas promised them that no more would be dismissed, but he'd also made it very clear that he was neither very honest nor very fair, so there was no telling what he might do. Regardless, most of the students had calmed at least slightly and didn't feel _quite_ as uncomfortable or fearful as they had at the start of class.

Zexion was spared any more embarrassment by keeping very quiet throughout the whole class, which was not particularly hard for him. He'd also taken very dutiful notes, which seemed to make Professor Xemnas a little happier every time he looked at him. Or at least, that's what Zexion sorely hoped. He didn't think he could survive a semester with an insane professor who didn't like him.

As Zexion gathered his book and laptop, slipping both into his bag quietly amid the chatter of his classmates, he sighed very softly. '_Not exactly my best first impresson ever,_' he thought morosely. When he looked up again he noticed Professor Xemnas watching him with his eerie yellow eyes, tracking his every move like hawk. This time Zexion didn't try to prove anything by keeping eye contact and shifted his gaze away quickly, dropping his pens into his bag with everything else.

"Class dismissed," Xemnas said uninterestedly and waved them off. Zexion glanced at him one more time and saw that his foot was tapping impatiently against the floor under his desk, as if he were waiting for something.

Zexion was the last to walk out the door, even though he was in the front row, simply because everyone else was anxious to get out of that class as soon as possible. As he passed through the exit, another entered and Zexion only caught the briefest glimpse of royal blue before the door was solidly closed behind him.

* * *

Back in the dorm, Demyx was grumbling as he replaced a broken string on his violin. He'd just gotten back from Orchestra, his mood as fragile as the string had been. How absolutely mortifying it had been when the stupid thing snapped with a terrible TWANG and nearly hit him in the face right in the middle of a piece. The girl next to him had rolled her eyes noticably in his direction as she continued to play, while Demyx had to sit there feeling useless. Class had ended soon after and the professor had kindly offered Demyx some new strings, but he'd had to refuse, for the sake of his pride. If he couldn't even take care of his instruments, what could he do?

Turning the tuning peg gently, Demyx picked up the violin and tucked it under his chin. He drew the bow quietly across the replaced string, then adjusted the peg slightly as he checked the tuner in his lap. Not that he needed the little device, blessed as he was with perfect pitch, but he always liked to be absolutely sure. As Demyx picked up the music he hadn't been able to finish in class, the door opened to reveal a slightly panting Zexion.

"Hey Zexion," Demyx greeted politely with a small wave of his bow. They hadn't talked much since that first disastrous night complete with its face smacking and random musical metaphors. The one thing that had improved however was Zexion's general civility. Though, it _was _only the fifth day, so things could still easily go downhill.

"Hello," Zexion replied, trying to catch his breath. It wasn't so much that he didn't want to strike up meaningless small talk with Demyx, it was more that he just didn't have the time. His next class started in ten minutes and with their dorm being so far out-of-the-way, it would take him nearly that long to get there. He dropped his bag on his bed, then took out his Heartless Anatomy book, placing it on a stack next to his desk.

"So how'd it go?" Demyx asked, watching Zexion hurry about the tiny room, combing his cobalt blue hair with his fingers and picking up a book from both his desk and the flimsy bookcase he'd positioned near the window.

Zexion, busy rifling through his bag for something else, replied distractedly, "Huh? Oh, fine, weird, but fine."

Demyx nodded solemnly and picked up his violin once more. "Well, have fun in your World Dialects class."

Zexion looked up at Demyx, surprised. '_He remembered? I told him that, what, four days ago?_' He shrugged slightly to himself. '_Whatever, he's still flighty._' "I'll certainly try, but I can't even go if I can't find my damn flash drive!"

Demyx put his violin down _yet again_ and looked up with wide blue eyes. '_Mr. Anal-Retentive lost something? No way!_' "Well, what does it look like?" he asked, unfolding his lanky limbs from the bed and standing.

Zexion raked a hand roughly through his hair and groaned. "It's translucent and purple, like those old Gameboy Colors." Not noticing Demyx's look of surprise, he dumped everything out of his bag to search it. Unfortunately nothing but books and pens spilled out with his laptop. A quick glance at his watch resulted in a loud "Damn it!"

"You played Gameboy Color?" Demyx asked, lowering to his knees and lifting up the comforter to his bed to search there.

"That's not relevant!" He had five minutes and counting. If he couldn't find his flash drive... Well, things would be bad, to say the least. He swept his hand under his bed, then crawled over to his dresser, reaching under that as well. When he was rewarded with nothing but a thick coating of dust on his fingers he cursed again.

"My favorite game was Pokemon Yellow. I don't care what people say about Red and Blue being better and Pikachu being a pussy, Yellow was B.A."

Zexion rolled his eyes and began searching the pockets of his dirty jeans, his movements becoming jerky. He was on the verge of panicking. There was no way he was going to get to class on time if this continued, and if he was late, it would only add to the absolute humiliation this day had already dished out to him.

"I have to say though, Pokemon really went downhill after Silver and Gold. I mean, that Mystery Dungeon shit? What's up with that? And don't even get me started on Diamond and Pearl! Too many freaking bullshit things to catch and--"

"Demyx!" Zexion snapped. "Stop talking, you're distracting me!"

Demyx just turned around and smirked, a certain translucent purple flash drive resting primly between his fingers. "Didn't distract me," he shot back, his eyes glinting in the afternoon sunlight shining through the window. When he caught sight of Zexion's shocked face his own only spilt into a wider grin. Zexion advanced quickly, snatching for the device, but Demyx raised it swiftly above his head, his 6 foot lanky swimmers body letting him gloat over his prize a little longer. "Magic words."

Zexion's face furrowed in pure frustration as he glared up from about level with Demyx's collarbones. God, being short could not get any worse. "Please and thank you," he growled, holding his hand out for the flash drive to be deposited into.

"Thattaboy, I'll teach you some manners yet," Demyx laughed, dropping the tiny plastic thing into Zexion's palm. He sat back on his bed, his day considerably brightened by the little torture toward his roommate. Later, he'd probably feel bad for it, but right now it was some very sweet humble pie baked up fresh and hot by Demyx for Zexion's not-pleasure.

Zexion's face was hot and he could just feel the flush spreading like fire across his nose and cheeks. What an awesome day. Almost as awesome as getting smacked in the face with a door and getting dumped a few hours later. Just as he predicted, this was shaping up to be a totally _stupendous_ year. Another check of his watch made him almost whimper, but he was able to keep it together. Throwing everything back in his shoulder bag, he rushed for the door, holding the bag close as to not jostle his laptop. He closed the door soundly behind him and flat out sprinted toward the stairs, not trusting the elevator to come in time. He had three minutes.

Demyx stretched his arms above his head, a little cocky and pleased with himself. The flash drive had been sitting on the window ledge the whole time and Zexion hadn't even noticed. The poor kid was probably just too needlessly panicked to even think of looking in plain sight. Demyx sighed and shook his head, '_Maybe I should ask Axel about him, see if he's always like that._'

His violin found its way to his hand again and then rested comfortably between his shoulder and chin. He reached forward and flattened the music that had drooped over on his stand and raised his bow to play.

'_Well, damn, I hate this song._'


	5. Vamp Intro

This is soooo late in coming and I'm very sorry to all of those who may still be interested. I'm not dead. Hopefully I've awoken from my slumber at last. Thanks for all the reviews guys! I hope this is going in a direction that you'll enjoy as much as I enjoy writing it. I know there's not a lot of romance as of yet, but don't worry, it'll come when it's ready. Apologies for the terribly cliché band name, by the way.

Disclaimer: I've already said I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I also don't own Explosions in the Sky.

Chapter Five – Vamp Intro

"Demyx shut it off!" someone groaned from across the room.

Demyx sighed a little at Tidus who had his hands clasped tightly over his ears. The pouting blonde pushed a button on the keyboard in front of him, turning off the terrible screeching that had been issuing from it. When the offending noise finally echoed away, the other band members hesitantly removed the hands, fingers, and, in Axel's case, pillows from their ears. Three pairs of sharp eyes turned in Demyx's direction and he held his hands up in defeat.

"All right, maybe feedback isn't the best idea for our aesthetic," he ventured, one hand going up to rake through his hair.

Axel scoffed loudly, "Yeah, no shit. You have any other _awesome_ ideas, Dem?"

Demyx blushed under the harsh scrutiny of his friends. "Noo..." When Wakka threw a drumstick at his face he yelped and ducked swiftly. "Ok, I have a couple more ideas! But none of them are that bad, I promise! I was listening to a lot of experimental stuff over the summer and I just thought--"

"No!"

Demyx pouted again. Naturally his ideas about adding feedback or other synthesized noises into their band's act did not go over well. As much as he himself loved to experiment, his other bandmates were less than enthusiastic about change. They were comfortable playing the same-old covers and writing songs with the same-old flavor over and over again. It was hard for Demyx to stay content, but there was no way that he'd argue the point any further.

The four young men were hanging out in Wakka and Lulu's jointly rented apartment, discussing their musical prospects for the coming school year. A lot of other campus bands had been springing up, apparently, and there was already a show scheduled the first week of September that they hadn't even known about. If the Blitzball Nobodies wanted to stay on top, they would need to be prepared for some serious competition.

Axel threw himself down on the couch, his tall body stretching nearly the entire length of the cushions, and sighed, "So anybody as starving as I am?"

At the mere thought of food, all four boys' stomachs grumbled in perfect unison. They grimaced and looked to Wakka hopefully. The orange-haired boy in question rolled his eyes at their beggar-like behavior and climbed to his feet, entering the kitchen in a few long strides. The others could hear him begging in turn for foodstuffs from Lulu, who apparently told him to fend for himself. Wakka returned with four cans of soda balanced precariously on top of one another and a family-size bag of potato chips. After passing around the drinks and ripping open the bag, the four settled in for some serious munching.

That is, until Lulu loomed from the kitchen doorway and spoke in her quiet, but utterly commanding way, "Napkins. Coasters," then walked away.

Wincing a little, all four of the young men gingerly picked up their already sweating cans and placed them on the readily available coasters on the tables, reaching for a stack of napkins also. They relaxed again when Lulu didn't seem to be coming back any time soon.

"So that Roxas kid is pretty hot," Axel stated, ignoring the loud groans from his friends. He'd been opening practically every conversation for the past week with those exact words. "I was talking to Riku yesterday and he said maybe–"

"Maybe you're a little obsessive, ya?"

"Save it, Axel," Tidus ordered, smacking a pillow into his unprotected stomach. "The kid's made it pretty damn clear he wants nothing to do with you."

Axel tossed the pillow back and said heatedly, "Shut the fuck up! You don't even know, Tidus…" He crunched a chip unhappily, glaring at the ceiling. So far, his attempts at wooing said Roxas had gone completely unrewarded.

Demyx was really starting to feel bad for his best friend. No matter what Axel did, Roxas just wasn't willing to be persuaded into anything, not even a casual friendship with the redhead. Granted, there hadn't been much time between Axel's initial star-struck advances and his current persistent and no-less subtle ones. Demyx was starting to like Roxas less and less, despite Riku's assurances that deep down he really was a pretty okay guy. Just a tad paranoid. And susceptible to fits of rage if provoked, which was clearly what Axel seemed to do every time he and Roxas crossed paths. No, Demyx did not particularly like Roxas at all.

Always the conflict diverter, Demyx promptly changed the subject: "Axel, your roommate last year was a guy named Zexion, right?"

Axel's bright jade eyes shifted from their unwavering study of the ceiling to look at Demyx. "Yeah, and he was a little bitch, why? Do you know him?"

Demyx laughed at the irony of the question and replied, "Um, in a manner of speaking." When Axel proceeded to waggle his eyebrows, Demyx blushed, not having realized how suggestive his comment had sounded. "No, no, I mean, he's my roommate this year!"

Axel pouted, looking resoundly disappointed, and said, "That's too bad, he could probably do with a good fucking." He rolled onto his side and continued, "Is he being mean to you or anything? 'Cause I can totally beat him up if you need me to."

"No, that's okay!" Demyx said hurriedly. '_Though I don't think I'd stop you if you tried…_' "It's just, I was wondering how you dealt with him being so… you know… antisocial?" Demyx blushed again as Axel snorted derisively.

"Antisocial? That doesn't even begin to describe him, Dem. Honestly, I just tried to keep stuff clean for his anal-retentive sensibilities and clear out of the room whenever he was working on some 'big project.' By the end I was doing shit just to try and piss him off. I told you about the toaster, right?"

Demyx nodded as Tidus and Wakka laughed, remembering the story of the smoldering toaster and co-eds, in pajamas soaked by the sprinkler system, fleeing a residence hall late one night. Suffice to say toasters were no longer allowed in dorm rooms.

Axel rolled back to his original position and threw a long arm over his forehead, his slender wrist sporting a braided bracelet with two brightly colored beads. "I think all-in-all he hated me a lot more than I hated him. Actually, I think the biggest thing I did that bothered him was bringing people back to the room for…" he smirked. "Nocturnal exercises. Not that you would have that problem, Dem," he teased. "He told me one time that he had a boyfriend, a huge monster of a guy too, but he never brought him over and as far as I know he never spent a night out of the room. Then again, I was out of the room so many nights I shouldn't even be talking…"

Demyx was listening intently, chin propped on his fist, looking contemplative. "His boyfriend broke up with him the first day back."

"Ouch," Tidus commented. "That's major suckage."

Axel glanced over again. "Yeah that really does suck. But in all seriousness, Dem, is he being a total asshat?" His protection reflex over Demyx was kicking in big time, since he knew just how sensitive the guy could be and how much he absolutely abhorred conflict.

Demyx considered his words carefully before speaking, "The first day was really bad, but not entirely his fault." He blushed. "I kind of hit him in the face with a door. But after that he seemed a bit more polite. It's just like most of the time I want to talk, but I'm scared he's gonna bite my head off. He doesn't seem to be interested in anything except his work, least of all making friends with me." Demyx was slowly becoming acutely aware of how whiny he sounded as he kept talking. He wanted to be friends with Zexion, he really did, and it was hard for him to accept the possibility that Zexion did not want to be his friend in return.

His bandmates all looked at him sympathetically. They were among the few who really understood how important friendship was to Demyx. Of all of them, he had the biggest heart, but also the most fragile one. Whether it came from his artistic view of the world, or his deep-rooted fear of conflict, Demyx would always be more emotional than the rest of them.

Wakka spoke up hesitantly, "If you wanna be friends, why don't you ask him to hang out or something, ya? You could invite him to eat with us one night…"

"Yeah," Tidus agreed. "Or maybe you could ask him to come to a Blitzball game with you. Or better yet, one of our shows!"

Demyx looked reluctant and his misgivings were echoed when Axel interrupted, "He won't do it." He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his spiky locks. "I tried all of those things. He politely declined every time." He sat up suddenly and sharply met Demyx's surprised sea-blue eyes with his. "If you want to be friends with Zexion, you have to do it on his terms. Books, academics, language. Music won't help you this time, believe me, he doesn't know a thing about it. If you want to get buddy-buddy with that bitch, be my guest. Good luck, because you're really gonna need it."

Demyx frowned severely at Axel. '_Somehow I just know that he's not completely right._' "How many times have I said that music is the great equalizer, Axel? I _will_ be friends with Zexion. On my terms, not _yours_." He had no idea where this sudden rush of confidence was coming from; it felt as if every fiber of his being was tingling with the desire to show Axel that he was wrong and that he, Demyx Strife, did not have to always take his advice. He could stand up for himself, just like he'd done when he'd found Zexion's flash drive. He was friendly, goddamn it, and soon he would have a new friend to show for it.

Quickly, Demyx stood and gathered up his synthesizer and lyric notebook, along with his laptop case and battered iPod. "I'll see you guys at dinner, I have some business to attend to," he said as he strode toward the door. Not forgetting his manners he called, "Thank you Lulu, for putting up with us!" The door closed smartly behind him and he hurried in the direction of his residence hall.

Left on the other side of the door were three surprised, and thoroughly baffled young men, with not the slightest clue as to what had just happened.

Finally, after a few moments of them staring at one another, Axel ventured, "Um, was it something I said?"

~.~.~

Zexion had begun his Saturday rather calmly, waking at promptly 7 A.M. as usual, and proceeding to drink a bottle of water and eat a granola bar before beginning work on his Heartless Anatomy assignment. Demyx had still been asleep, but had surprised Zexion by rising not too much later and leaving, cheerfully calling to Zexion to have a nice day and that he'd be back late afternoon. Zexion had hoped to remove himself from the room, work successfully completed, before that happened. Unfortunately, his assignment was proving much more impossible than he'd anticipated.

As he grumbled to himself, eyes straining from staring at his laptop screen for the past five hours, he considered the possibility of dropping the class. He'd never done anything so drastic before, but Professor Xemnas clearly did not like him and with that fact on top of his already 18-credit semester, Zexion wasn't sure he'd be able to keep up. Never before in his academic life had he been faced with such a dire predicament.

So what was more important: his GPA or his pride?

Briefly, Zexion rested his head on his desk and stared into space. It was a just a simple report. A report on the basic physiological differences between Emblem and Pureblood Heartless. At first glance, Zexion hadn't thought much of his topic, given to him specifically by the professor. He'd imagined it would be a simple accounting of the differences, beginning with the most obvious: the presence, or lack thereof, of an emblem. As his research had quickly pointed out to him, the differences were so simple and practically common knowledge that nearly anything he wrote would be a copy of someone else's work. Not to mention there was a conspicuous lack of current research, since the study of heartless had largely died out long ago anyway.

The door to the room flew open with Demyx's typical carelessness and lack of grace. Zexion picked his head up from the desk with difficulty, his mild headache returning threefold.

"Hey, Zexion!" Demyx greeted, his smile as cheerful as the radiant sun shining through the blinds.

Zexion, rather than ignoring as he was in the habit of doing, grunted in reply, turning his head away from his screen and glancing over his shoulder at his roommate. Anything to distract himself. Just then, the most palatable scent came wafting to his nose; and just like Pavlov's dog, Zexion felt his mouth water.

Demyx held up a plastic bag with a red snaking dragon on the front. "I picked up some Chinese take-out… if you want some…" He smiled a little shyly, really not sure if this plan of his would help get Zexion to open up. "I figured you would still be working, and you probably hadn't eaten."

'_Food. He brought me food. That was… surprisingly thoughtful of him…_' Zexion mused as he saved his mediocre report and closed his laptop. He stood from his uncomfortable wooden chair and stretched, legs aching from sitting for so long and spine cracking in multiple places.

"Food would be fabulous, actually."

Demyx beamed and began unloading the bag onto his own desk. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got a whole bunch of stuff. We can always save it for later. Let's see…" As he took out each little white box, he explained what it was and Zexion's mouth dampened further. White rice, fried rice, General Tso's chicken, sweet and sour pork, spring rolls; a delectable spread of crave-able dishes specifically designed to make Zexion's stomach set free a most unseemly rumble. While Zexion pretended not to blush, Demyx pretended not to hear, though the corner of his mouth tugged up just a little while his back was to him.

Zexion pulled out couple of plastic bowls adorned with the names of famous literary figures his mother had seen fit to give him, and handed one to Demyx. He felt the need to share, not because it was polite, but because it seemed a fit repayment of being provided with food. Demyx took the bowl with another smile and Zexion wasn't entirely sure why his face still felt warm.

When he'd gotten his food, Demyx plopped on his bed and broke his chopsticks (which had unfortunately been the only thing the restaurant had to offer), starting to shovel food into his mouth at light speed. Chips and soda had definitely not been enough to satisfy his appetite. Besides, he wasn't exactly a pro at chopsticks and if anything stayed on them for longer than a few seconds, it usually fell off.

Zexion however, perched on the very edge of his bed (so no crumbs would get on it) and ate with the grace of someone who used chopsticks every day of his life. He could even pick up the white rice, even though it wasn't sticky.

"So—" Demyx began, but was cut off.

"Thank you." Zexion cleared his throat delicately. "Thank you for the food. I can pay you back."

Demyx grinned and shook his head. "I told you I'd teach you some manners! No, seriously, it's on me. I figured it could be a real peace offering. After all, hitting you and teasing you and calling you weird names wasn't exactly nice of me."

The corner of Zexion's mouth quirked just barely and he raised another bite of rice to his lips. "Are we turning over a new leaf, so to speak?"

"If that's what you want." Demyx was going to leave this conversation as open as possible. He definitely didn't want to back Zexion into a corner.

Zexion considered for a moment as he twirled a chopstick between his fingers deftly. He prided himself on being able to keep himself above the typical bumps in social interaction. His experience with Demyx thus far had proven highly unrewarding, but at the same time it had certainly provided more excitement than he was typically accustomed to. In other words, pursuing a friendship (_well, perhaps not so far as that_) with Demyx would be beneficial to his general attitude toward his living arrangement. Perhaps.

"My name is Zexion Ienzo, I am from Traverse Town, and I am currently studying English Literature and Linguistics. It is a pleasure to meet you." He offered a vague smile, hoping Demyx wouldn't find it as fake as it felt.

Demyx grinned, a battle won, and said, "I'm Demyx Strife, I'm from Atlantica – top side, that is – and I'm gonna be a Composition major. Though truth be told I'd much rather be a performance major. I'd really just never be able to pick an instrument to specialize in. Everyone always told me I should do violin, but I really love trumpet too, and sitar, though really that's just a hobby…" Demyx smiled almost coyly and took the hint, closing his mouth as Zexion's eyebrow raised sharply at him.

Zexion finished his bowl of take-out and stood, tossing his chopsticks in the trash and rinsing out his bowl thoroughly in their tiny sink. As pleasant as this little distraction had been, it was certainly time to get back to work, despite the apparent futility.

Demyx followed Zexion's example and gave the bowl back when he was finished. So far so good. "I was wondering," he began, then hesitated, not really sure what he'd been wondering at all. It had just seemed like a good way to start a conversation.

Zexion raised an eyebrow at Demyx once more as he reopened his laptop and pulled out his desk chair. Typically he was not one for procrastination, but at the moment anything seemed more attractive than working on this damn report. When Demyx did nothing but laugh nervously and scratch the back of his head, Zexion was almost disappointed. He turned away and sat, cracking his knuckles before setting them atop the keys.

"What are you working on?" Demyx blurted, not able to come up with anything better off the top of his head. He really wasn't really good at improvisation; he'd never been a particularly good jazz player.

Zexion rolled his eyes and cracked his neck. '_I really hope that doesn't turn into a twitch_,' he mused. "A report," he replied shortly. "For Heartless Anatomy."

Demyx made an 'ooh' sort of noise and sat on his bed, folding his legs. "Is it going well?"

"No." Zexion wasn't entirely sure why, but he wanted to… talk about this with someone. Since he was still not on speaking terms with Lexaeus, Demyx was really the only one readily available that was less likely to make fun of him than Xigbar or Xaldin. "It's going very badly, actually."

Demyx frowned, surprised. Wasn't Zexion supposed to be this, like, uber genius or something? The thought that something, anything, academic could be difficult for him was practically unthinkable. "Well… can I do anything to help you?" he offered.

"Can you tell me one scientist who has done significant research on Heartless in the past 30 years? Anyone at all? Because I do not believe such a person exists. The existing research on Heartless has been constant for approximately three decades because _no one cares_. Heartless are pests, nothing more; there hasn't even been a sighting of anything more dangerous than a Shadow in a very long time. The differences between Pureblood and Emblem Heartless have been documented so thoroughly, any report on my part would be blatant plagiarism. So, Demyx, do you have any brilliant ideas to offer?" Zexion took a deep breath after his outburst and glanced at Demyx one more time. He wasn't desperate, definitely not desperate.

"Uh… huh?" When Zexion scoffed disgustedly, Demyx looked sheepish. "I'm sorry, I just don't know anything about Heartless, really!" He looked around the room, his bright blue eyes searching for any source of inspiration. If he could help Zexion with this, maybe it would serve as a springboard into a more solid friendship. Hey, a guy could dream, right? Suddenly, a stroke of brilliance hit him like lightning bolt. He rummaged around in his pocket for a moment, pulling forth his well-loved iPod. "Have you tried music?" he asked, excitement weaving its way into his voice.

Zexion turned his upper body around in his chair, resting his forearm on the back. His brow was furrowed in absolute confusion. "No. What does music have anything to do with Heartless?"

"Nothing at all! Here, just listen to this. It's what I _always_ listen to when I'm doing homework. It makes me feel more productive." He plugged his iPod into some equally battered speakers and hit play.

It took a moment for the song to truly start. The first dozen seconds were nothing but a single guitar string being plucked, then a deep, pulsating bass drum entered like a heartbeat. Another guitar, snares, and cymbals, and a bass guitar, all weaving and lacing together to create something melodious. At first it was gentle, but like a relentless ocean wave, it built and built into something invigorating.

Zexion's blue-gray eyes widened in shock. Was that… music? Not possible, it couldn't be. Where were the whining vocals, the teeny-bopping rhythms and lyrics? Where was the usual overall irritation and headache he'd had earlier? Music was always something he'd considered himself above: superfluous in both its repetition and the industry it had spawned. This was something altogether different. It was as if the notes were in his head, spiraling upward and twining together, giving life to half-formed ideas. Suddenly he knew exactly where to go with his paper, he wasn't even sure why he'd even been having trouble in the first place.

"What _is_ that?" he breathed, as if fearful of missing a single beat.

"Explosions in the Sky," Demyx replied, voice equally soft. There was something happening here, he knew it, he just wasn't quite sure what yet. He didn't know if Zexion was about to tell him the shut it off or turn it up.

"It's amazing."

Demyx grinned. Finally, after a disastrous meeting and an extremely tense first week, things were shaping up. Axel wasn't right after all. Zexion had some serious potential to love music; he just didn't know it yet. Demyx studied his attractively hidden face and saw something of a blend of not-quite rapture and peace, as well as the look of a genius cheerfully working out a difficult math problem in his head. "Tell me, Zexion, what's your favorite type of music?"

Zexion frowned vaguely at his listening being interrupted, but, instead of responding, he spun in his chair and began to type furiously. He was honestly afraid that this sudden revelation and burst of insight was something temporary, fleeting, like a butterfly perched delicately on a flower. If even slightly disturbed, it would be gone.

"Zexion?"

"I don't have one," he snapped, typing like his life depended on it, which, to him, it did.

Demyx looked absolutely horrified and leapt off his bed, leaning over his roommate's shoulder. "You don't have one? What do you mean, you don't like a particular band, or group, or singer? Is that what you mean?"

Zexion nearly growled low in his throat before replying, "No. I do not like music. Demyx, if you please, I've suddenly gained some inspiration. Would you leave me alone?"

Demyx went very still for a moment. Music was what he lived and breathed, and Zexion didn't even like it. Was this another opportunity for peace, or was it just another difference that they could never come to a compromise on?

Demyx took a deep breath and tried the springboard, hoping he didn't fall flat on his face. "You know, it's the music giving you the inspiration, right? You feel it, don't you? It's inside you now and you won't be able to get rid of it. The more you listen, the more you learn. You like learning, right?"

He looked hopeful when Zexion's cold eyes met his.

"Teach me."

A/N: Review please! I'll love you so much!


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